Together, Unwavering
by Violent-Flames
Summary: Post- Reaper Destruction. Based on EC. A short little fic about Shepard in the aftermath of the war and how it has affected her. Liara is of course there to see to it that the Commander doesn't get lost to her own darkness. One-Shot for now.


**A/N:** Set after the destruction of the Reapers. This is based on the Extended Cut and the 10-second clip you get at the very end, you know which one I mean… So, I thought I'd write a little something about Shepard in the aftermath of the war, just wanted to get it out of my head and down on "paper". It's kinda angsty but it has some fluff. May be continued if there's an interest. This has possible spoilers.

Happy Reading!

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**Together, Unwavering**

Fire burned mercilessly. It cascaded down nerve, skin and muscle like white-hot tar as it peeled away feeling and turned the moisture droplets trickling down flesh into warm steadily rising gray steam. The extremely durable polyethylene carbon fibers of what was left of her armor began to slowly infuse with the carbon mesh undershirt and pants she wore underneath. Inevitably however, the remnants of the armor soon burned through and reached the flesh beneath. The searing, ruthless pain of flesh melding with carbon armor was excruciating as a raw agonized scream bubbled up from her constricted, smoke and ash-filled lungs. Her body was slowly shutting down and all the energy she could spare was converted into a breathless, anguished sob.

She had done it, it was over and now she had to slowly burn to death. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, everything hurt and the smell of her own flesh burning and infusing with the polyethylene fibers assaulted her senses, sending a powerful wave of nausea crashing down on her.

A loud creaking noise alerted her reflexes, which put all effort into looking up to the source of the sound. A large bulkhead hung dangerously loose right above her. It creaked again as it slowly began to brake off from the main support. She couldn't move, she could do anything… A quiet, constricted and aggrieved moan escaped her again as she closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry, my love" she whispered hoarsely through her burnt, chapped lips "I'm so sorry…"

The bulkhead groaned horribly as it came loose and she closed her eyes tightly as she braced for the inescapable impact.

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Commander Shepard shot up off the bed, gasping for air and patting herself down frantically as she made sure she was indeed not on fire. She was covered in cold sweat, which also made her hair stick to her face and scalp. She greedily swallowed down large portions of cold air into her lungs as she tried to regain some form of normal breathing. The strands of hair at the back of her neck where dripping sweat down her back and she swatted at it in frustration.

"Shepard?" the soft worried voice came from beside her on the bed. Shepard buried her face in her hands and ignored the unspoken question from her lover.

"Shepard, are you alright?" a blue slender hand landed softly on her shoulder. Shepard flinched violently as if the touch had burned her and turned beaten, agonized eyes on the Asari beside her. Liara was shocked by the commander's reaction and the look in her eyes and took a few seconds to recover. Shepard looked but she wasn't seeing. Her eyes were unfocused and stared right through Liara.

The pained and lost expression in Shepard's eyes was heart wrenching for the young Asari as she put a hand up to cover her mouth in worry before again addressing her lover.

"Love… It was just a dream" Liara tried to soothe "It's okay now…"

The young Asari moved carefully closer to the distraught Commander and placed herself a little behind her. Liara reached forward tentative hands and gently placed them on Shepard's shoulders in an attempt to provide some comfort. Shepard winced slightly at the contact but seemed to slightly relax despite it. Liara took this as a sign to offer more support and slowly wrapped her arms around her lover's shoulders before she heard a quiet, muffled sob.

It wasn't the first time the Asari had calmed the Commander down from a horrific or anguished nightmare, especially after the destruction of the Reapers, the recovery of Shepard's body and those four long painful months it took to basically get her back from the dead… again. Being dead or as close to without being declared so and then being brought back, twice, had taken a toll on the Commanders psychological health.

Liara didn't even want to think back on that difficult time when they had found Shepard in the rubble of the Citadel tower, burned half to death, bruised and beaten to a near unidentifiable mess and bleeding profusely. It was more than a miracle that she had been able to get back on her feet, let alone gain consciousness.

Liara had spent that time before finding Shepard and during the Commanders recovery worrying and burying herself in her work. Barely eating even though Chakwas or Garrus tried bringing her food, she often neglected it. She also found herself without sleep, because relaxing meant thinking about things and these things often relayed to Shepard. She would cry herself to sleep or experience some horrid nightmare, so she preferred collapsing out of sheer exhaustion instead.

Both times, Shepard had endured a long and torturous road before death would even present itself to her and that was what caused most of her torment. When she lay down to rest and her mind began bombarding her with these unbearable images of suffocation, blazing inferno and death.

A couple of times Liara would hold her until she calmed down and was able to settle back to sleep. Once, Shepard had lashed out angrily at Liara and in her furious temper she had told her lover to get out and leave her alone. The young Asari had complied in the end, figuring Shepard needed to calm down by herself. The Commander had later apologized wholeheartedly and wrapped the Asari in a gentle hug. Liara had never been angry that time because she knew Shepard was trying not to burden Liara with her problems and the entire situation had resulted in the Commander's outburst.

As Liara now sat with Shepard wrapped in her arms she knew that this nightmare must have been worse than the others she'd had before. She had never witnessed such a reaction from Shepard before. Liara gently hugged Shepard tighter toward her before she placed a kiss on the back of her neck and murmured words of comfort.

A few minutes later Shepard sniffled and wiped angrily at her eyes. Liara straightened slightly but didn't let go as Shepard quietly ran a hand through her own hair and cleared her throat softly. The soldier gently disentangled herself from her lover and softly padded to the bathroom without saying a word. Liara heard the faucet turn on and imagined Shepard to be splashing her face with cold water.

Liara cast a quick look at the holoclock at the bedside and judged it far too early to be bustling about and lay back down on the soft sheets, thoughts churning in her head. She gazed up through the window in the ceiling of Shepard's cabin and felt a little more at ease as she remembered what she had shared with Shepard back before the assault on Cronos Station and that there lay not a threat above them anymore. At least not that of the Reapers…

Shepard was still on duty from time to time even now seven months after the end of the Reaper war and after all the ceremonies, speeches and parades. The relays had been fixed with the cooperation of all species just as the war had been won. Together, they helped in rebuilding the worlds that had been hit by the Reapers. They had also already begun repairs on the Citadel and even managed to reactivate the Geth. So now, during the rebuilding efforts the Alliance or her Spectre duties would sometimes call upon her help, be it for a consultation or a quick recon mission, Shepard was still needed and she was happy to do it as it kept her mind sharp and focused. It was in her blood after all…

Liara used her network as the Shadow Broker to help with reparation, rebuilding as well as ration and material supplies and she was content doing it on the Normandy where she could be close to Shepard. Everyone else from the team had stayed on in their desire to help with the rebuilding. Soon enough though, a few of them would probably move on as expected.

The young Asari had decided to be careful with the Shadow Broker network as even though she might want to give it up she could just up and walk away. And if she were to hand it over to someone else, she'd have to thoroughly consider that person before doing so as the repercussion in this matter could ultimately be perilous if it where handled defectively.

She heard the faucet turn off and a few seconds later the bathroom door opened, revealing Shepard, fatigue clear in her matte eyes, water dripping from a few strands of hair that covered her face as she slowly crept to her wardrobe and pulled out a N7 hoodie and a pair of cargo pants.

Though the Commander had voiced an eager desire to start on those little blue babies, Liara had reluctantly persuaded her that Shepard needed to fully heal and recover before that was a good idea. Apparently, she had been more correct than she would have wanted.

Liara sat back up in bed "Are you okay, Shepard?" she softly addressed her lover who has in the process of buckling her pants.

Shepard gave her a quick look "Yeah, fine…" She mumbled hoarsely. Liara obviously didn't buy her answer as she furrowed her brow in concern.

"Where are you going?" Liara asked softly.

"Got some work to do…" was the gruff and short reply that came from the Commander.

Liara sighed "Shepard, love… Please, you must rest. It will do you no good to stare at a terminal screen for hours on end this early" she tried to reason, anything to get through to the stubborn warrior. Shepard would drive herself into a wall if she continued in this manner.

"I can't…" Shepard said in a soft rasp before swallowing thickly and slightly slumping her shoulders. However, Liara hadn't quite heard her as she stepped out of bed and carefully walked over to the Commander. Liara gently wrapped her arms around Shepard's waist from behind and leaned her cheek against her shoulder.

"What was that love?" Liara asked tenderly. Shepard seemed to freeze as she tensed up, making Liara raise her head back up in concern.

"I-… I can't go back to sleep" She took a deep breath "I don't want to-..."

Liara quickly grasped what her lover meant and hugged her closer briefly before she placed a hand on Shepard's shoulder and gently turned her so that she faced the Asari. Liara silently placed a tender, chaste kiss on the Commanders lips before proceeding to wrap her in a loving embrace.

It took Shepard a few moments before she responded and returned the embrace, hugging Liara tightly to her and burying her face in her neck.

They had been standing like that for a while before Liara pulled back slightly in order to look in Shepard's red rimmed eyes. She placed a hand on her cheek and Shepard responded by closing her eyes slowly and leaning into her lovers touch.

"Love, come and sit with me" Liara offered delicately before she grabbed the Commanders hand with her own and gracefully led her to the side of the bed. Shepard followed her lover trustingly as she sat on the bed against the headboard and pulled the Commander down beside her. Once they had settled on the bed, Liara wrapped her arm around Shepard and gently pulled her down until the Commander's head was resting just below the nook of Liara's neck

Liara proceeded to lovingly stroke her fingers through Shepard's hair as the Commander relaxed in her arms.

A few moments later Shepard spoke up "Liara?" she asked huskily.

"I'm here, Love" Liara responded kindly

"I love you" Shepard said before she sighed contently "… so much" she finished a little over a whisper.

Liara smiled affectionately down at her lover before she replied, her heart swelling with the love and care she felt for this woman "I love you too, Shepard"

Slowly but surely Shepard's body was beginning to feel heavy, feeling like it was going to sink right into the mattress. Her eyelids began to grow heavy as she hardly resisted the oncoming passage into slumber. Before she fully succumbed to sleep however, she managed to utter in a slur "Thank you"

Liara continued to stroke Shepard's hair and smiled once again. She vowed that she would help Shepard through this, however long it would take and however many nights she had to lull her to sleep. They were indestructible and this was by far not even close to the worse they had already overcome. They would get through this together just like they had gotten through everything else and when they were good and ready they would start working on those little blue babies.

**~FIN~**

**A/N:** Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it and until next time! Cheers


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